Smoker&#39;s pipe cleaner



June 6, 1944. G. c. DICKEY SMOKERS PIPE CLEANER Filed May 26, 1943 '//vVEV'NTOIP GEORGE 5v 6'.- DICKEY 4 fro/Qwea, I

Patented June 6, 1944 UNI-TED STAT ES PATENT QFFICE sMoKEivs. PIPECLEANER. George 0. Dickey, san Francisco, Calif. Application May 26,1943, Serial No. 488,5L4.

'1 Claims. (01. 131-246) This invention relates to devices for cleaningout the encrusted bowl of smokers pipes, and the principal object of theinvention is to provide improvements in such devices which will make thedevice more serviceable.

Other objects and advantages of the inventionwill appear in thefollowing description and in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved pipe cleaner ready for use.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the device with its lever locking cap removed,also its layer of abrading paper or emery cloth taken off, and its wireclamping lever opened out to extend at right angles to the core or bodyof the device.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the lever locking cap.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modification of the emery cloth or sand paperused around the core of the device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section of Fig: 2 as seen from the line 55.

Fig, 6' is a perspective view of a double ended abrader made in tubularform.

Before describing the drawing in detail, it may be said that the deviceis a pipe bowl cleaner of the type having a rigid core with a sheet ortube of emery cloth or sand paper wrapped about it so as to enable it tobe twisted back and forth in the bowl of the pipe to grind out the cakedand encrusted matter. The invention has mostly to do with theapplication of the abrading material to the core, whereby the operationof the device is facilitated and improved. A feature of the device isthat it also provides means for cleaning out the bore in the stem of thepipe.

In further detail the device comprises an elon-' gated round plug orcore I preferably of wood, and of a diameter somewhat smaller than theaverage interior of a smokers pipe bowl, and the plug is rounded at oneend as at 2, while along one side of the plug is a V shaped shallowgroove 3 which joins a short narrow slot 4 which extends deeper into theplug and terminates at 4' so as to leave the lower end of the plug, from4' down, solid and unyielding.

Transversely pivoted by a pin 6 in a slightly widened portion of theslot is a wire lever I adapted to swing from a position extendingsubstantially at right angles with the plug, as shown in Fig. 2, to aposition within the shallow groove 3, for the purpose of clamping anabrasive sheet 8 around the plug, and to be locked in clamping positionby any suitable means, but here indicated as a thin hollow cap 9 whichslides down over the upper ends of both the plug and the wire-as shown:in; Fig. 1.

The. abrasive sheet may be sandpaper or emery cloth, preferably thelatter, and it is preferably formed to the shape shown in Fig. 4-. The:sheet.

8 is substantially rectangular but with V shaped serrations l0 formedalong opposite edges of asize to fold down snugly together to fitaround: and cover the rounding end 2 of the plug when the sheet iswrapped around it. The object of. having the serrations on both edgesofthe-sheet is to make the sheet reversible on the plug,'tho

the sheet need have but one edge serrated ii the reversible feature werenot desired, and such-a sheet is shown inplaceon the plug in Fig. l andwhereon the abrasive material is indicated at l2.

To hold the abrasive sheet firmly in position it is provided with a pairof tongues l3, M, the latter of which is somewhat longer than theformer, so that in applying the sheet, the wire lever l is opened to theposition shown in Fig. 2, the longer tongue H of the sheet 8 is pushedinto the snugly fitting slot or kerf 4', the sheet is wound about theplug, and which: will bring the smaller tongue in overlying positionwith the longer one, as clearly indicated in Fig. 5, and with thewrapped sheet held with the fingers of one hand the wire lever l isswung into the groove 3 to clamp the two overlying tongues or extensionsI3, I4 and also draw the sheet very tightly about the plug. The cap 9 isthen pushed over the end of the plug to lock the wire lever in place,and the serrations I0 are folded down smoothly over the rounded end ofthe plug.

In using the device, the plug is grasped about the upper portion withthe fingers preferably extending somewhat over the abrasive sheet aswell, and the rounded end of the plug is inserted into'the pipe bowl andpressed against the side of the bowl and given a rotary twist while thebowl is preferably slowly turned.

Since the plug is cylindrical and somewhat smaller than the bowl itcannot become wedged 7 into the bowl, and may be effectively used withany size pipe larger than the plug. Also as the plug is rigid andunyielding it permits a hard contact to grind off the encrusted materialin the bowl of the pipe.

A further feature of the device is that the wire lever I when extendedas shown in Fig. 2 provides the means for cleaning out the smoke passageat the base of the bowl and also the passage in the stem of the-pipe.The extreme end of the wire is purposely left with a sharp corner at Tfor this purpose.

wire and form'a stop when the tube is down far v enough. The details offorming the abrasive tube are unimportant as it may have an overlappingjoint or be formed seamless, and may be of paper, cloth, or of anyflexible sheet material such as the variouscellulosic and plastic sheetson the market, and the abrasive material may be se- I cured all over itsouter surface in the known way of holding the sand or emery in place onsand and emery papers.

'As a modified use, the tube form of abrasive covering may be slippedover the plug with its wire 1 already seated in its groove 3, and theplug and upper portion of the tube gripped to apply the grinding orreaming action in cleaning a pipe bowl. It is obvious that theserrations I'll may be omitted from one end of the emery cloth tube asshown for the emery cloth wrapping 8 of Fig. 1,

but that the tube would not then be reversible end for end.

Having thus described my improved pipe cleaner, what I claim is: r

- 1'. A device for cleaning smokers pipes comprising around elongatedplug of a size to enter the bowl of the pipe, a flexible sheet ofabrasive m'aterial'around said plug, and clamping means for'drawing saidsheet taut about said plug and holding it in place, said plug beingsolid and rounded at its lower end, and said sheet of abrasive materialbeing formed with .V shaped serrations along one of its edges of a formand size to fold down over the rounded end of the plug.

.2; In the combination as set out in claim 1', said sheet of abrasivematerial being serrated at opposite ends so as to be reversible on saidplug.

3. A device of the character described comprising an elongated roundplug with one end solid and rounded, a groove along the side of theplug, a wire lever pivoted at one end tct the plug adjacent but spacedfrom the solid r unded end in a manner to lie wholly in the side g ooveto clamp a sheet of emery cloth about the plug or s ing out of thegroove to a positon extending later lly from the plug, and means for.locking the wire lever in place when in the groove.-

4. In a structure as set out in claim 3, said groove being deepenedadjacent the rounded end of the plug in the form of a narrow slot toreceive an extension of the emery cloth, and the means for locking thewire lever comprising a collar fitting over the end of the plug andfreely 1 slidable longitudinally over the free end of said wire lever.

5. In a smokers pipe cleaner having a manua1- ly operable reaming plugwith a rounded end, an abrasive covering for said plug comprising a.flexible sheet of abrasive covered material of a size to surround saidplug and provided with V shaped serrations adapted to fold around andcover the rounded end of the plug.

6. In a smokers pipe cleaner having a manually operable reaming plugwith a rounded end, an abrasive covering for said plug comprising aflexible sheet of abrasive covered material of a size to surround saidplug and provided with V shaped serrations adapted to fold around andcover the rounded end of the plug, said serrations being on oppositeedges of the sheet to provide for reversing the sheet on said plug.

'7. In a smokers pipe cleaner having a manuallyoperable reaming plugwith a rounded end, an abrasive covering for said plug comprising aflexible sheet of abrasive covered material preformed into a tube of asize to surround said plug and provided with V shaped serrations adaptedto fold around and cover the roundedend of the p ug.

GEORGE c. DICKEY.

